Author: gleanernewspaper

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) convened the Third Quarter 2025 Ministerial Development Partnership Committee (DEPAC) meeting on Thursday at the Foreign Service Academy, Tower Hill, bringing together senior government officials, development partners, and members of the diplomatic and financial communities to deliberate on new approaches to mobilize capital for Sierra Leone’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2024–2030. The forum — held under the theme “Exploring Opportunities for Raising Capital Investment for Sierra Leone – Lessons from Seville (FfD4)” — focused on pragmatic ways to expand financing sources, improve public investment efficiency, and translate international commitments into locally…

In the blistering heat of Freetown, tired young men gather in clusters on street corners, their limbs swollen and eyes glazed — a visible manifestation of a growing public health emergency. The substance at the centre of this human wreckage is known locally as kush, a cheap, highly toxic synthetic drug that has spread from obscurity to crisis in the space of a few years. Kush is believed to have appeared in Sierra Leone around 2016, but its human toll has accelerated sharply since. Between 2020 and 2023, the country’s only psychiatric hospital recorded 1,865 admissions linked to the drug,…

On October 18, 2025, eleven Sierra Leonean recipients of the 2025 Chevening Scholarships attended the Chevening Orientation 2025 at London’s ExCeL Centre, alongside hundreds of emerging leaders from all over the world. The Chevening Secretariat, under the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), organised the event, which brought together scholars from more than 160 countries and territories for a day of keynote addresses, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities designed to preparePrepare them for a successful year of postgraduate study in the United Kingdom. They are planning a productive year of postgraduate study in the United Kingdom. Grounds was…

Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Sierra Leone’s Vice President, has emphasised the critical role of reliable and affordable energy in achieving the country’s medium-term development goals, describing universal energy access as the “cornerstone of our medium-term national development plan.”He spoke at the conclusion of the Third Climate Resilience and Energy Transition Dialogue, which took place at the Bintumani International Conference Centre.Dr. Juldeh Jalloh announced that Sierra Leone now has “a credible, data-driven, and endorsed energy plan” designed to accelerate rural electrification, improve utility performance, increase the share of renewable energy in the national generation mix, and attract private-sector investment. He highlighted…

Monday, October 20, 2025. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Alpha Sesay, addressed participants of the Senior Command and Staff Course 3 at Horton Command and Staff College, Imatt, Freetown, stressing the essential role of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) in upholdingConstitutional governance and strengthening of democratic institutions.In his guest lecture, Mr Sesay praised the RSLAF for its professionalism, discipline, and long-standing commitment to peace and national stability. He emphasised that the military’s responsibilities go far beyond traditional defence tasks, including defending democracy and the rule of law.The Attorney General’s remarks addressed several pressing issues, including…

A United Nations Assessment and Advisory Visit (AAV) Team last week conducted a thorough assessment of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces’ (RSLAF) readiness to return to international peacekeeping missions. The assessment was conducted on October 1 and 2, 2025, by a four-person delegation led by James D’Ercole of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. British and Canadian observers also attended. Following the UN Statement of Unit Requirements (SUR), the Team assessed a wide range of criteria deemed necessary for deployment to a peacekeeping theatre. The review focused on unit capability and training, personnel strength and…

The Fostering Africa’s Agricultural Productivity through Fertiliser Value Chain Financing (FOSTER) project in Sierra Leone has received approval from the African Development Bank Group for a $2.25 million financing package. The project aims to improve crop yields for over 126,000 smallholder farmers by strengthening the fertiliser value chain and expanding fertiliser access.Welthungerhilfe is implementing the program, which combines a $1.5 million Partial Credit Guarantee from the Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism (AFFM) with a $700,000 grant for soil health management and $50,000 in-kind assistance from Welthungerhilfe. These resources are anticipated to work together to leverage approximately $9 million in private financing…

Freetown, October 21, 2025 — His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio officially launched Sierra Leone’s National Poppy Week on Tuesday at State House with a ceremony commemorating the country’s servicemen and women’s courage and sacrifice.The annual remembrance honours those who served and died in World Wars I and II, as well as those who lost their lives or returned scarred from Sierra Leone’s eleven-year civil war.President Bio emphasised the ongoing significance of Poppy Week as a national moment of reflection during his keynote address. We noted that 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II,…

By Luc Briard How can we unite, act and resist together in order to defend gender equality and the rights of women and girls? This will be the guiding question of the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Foreign Policy, which France will host on 22 and 23 October 2025. This conference will bring together ministers of foreign affairs from all regions of the world, representatives of international organizations, public development banks, as well as civil society, research bodies and philanthropic foundations. Since 2019, France has pursued a feminist foreign policy, making gender equality and women’s rights a cross-cutting priority of its…

When David Moinina Sengeh became Sierra Leone’s first Chief Innovation Officer in 2018, few could have predicted the far-reaching consequences of his appointment. His tenure marked a watershed moment in how the government could use technology, data, and human-centred design to improve service delivery in a country hungry for competent, accountable leadership. Dr Sengeh has consistently combined pragmatic problem-solving with an ambitious national vision for inclusive development in his various roles, most notably as Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and, following the 2023 elections, as Chief Minister appointed by President Julius Maada Bio. The Directorate of Science, Technology,…